Another buying advice

S

sharry

Well-known member
Hey all! I have been working for the past 5 years. I have been renting cameras. Now I think I should buy myself a kit. Just got an editing station. My main line of work is narratives (features and shorts). I am looking at these cameras:

- Canon 7D
- Canon 60D
- GH1
- GH2
- HVX200a
- HPX170
- Sony HXR NX5
- Sony HDR AX2000

Now which camera would be suitable in a range like $2000-$3500? Does the image quality of HVX and the HPX stand against the DSLRs. If I go towards a camcorder instead of a DSLR I won't be using a 35mm adapter. I'll be using the stock lens. Please Help me out. Line of work Narratives. Thanking you in advance.
 
Best answer: Ask your DP, or who ever is working the camera.

Quick and dirty answer: 7D or GH2

Best course of action: There are a ton resources where you can read about other opinions, and view dslr footage. Search "moire" and "H.264 artifacts" in addition with dslr. Read about the pros and cons by searching the forum. Watch footage shot with HVX,HPX, and AX2000 and see if you like that style and look.

Read: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?249559-Video-DSLR-FAQ-(Canon-APS-C-Edition)
 
not meaning to be rude. but isnt this like your 4th "what to buy?" post in the last 3 months?
 
@wgzn: Yeah it is and I am sorry but it is so confusing with all this technology and different things added to it, you know. And I am glad most people here, including you, have helped me out. Thanks.

@James0b57: Thanks for the link. Really helped me out.
 
Sharry, in the future it is better to continue existing threads when possible. Consider this a warning.

Meanwhile, have you read through the sticky posts?
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?249559-Video-DSLR-FAQ-(Canon-APS-C-Edition)
[URL="http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?249562-Difference-between-APS-C-Camera-models-(7D-vs-T2i-vs-60D-vs-T3i)"]http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?249562-Difference-between-APS-C-Camera-models-(7D-vs-T2i-vs-60D-vs-T3i)
[/URL]The section on Panasonic GH series has fewer stickies, but here's one about the GH1 to get you started:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?174020-Temp-FAQ
 
the answer is pretty simple. if your work is truthfully primarily features and shorts and if you dont want to use a 35mm adapter rig. forget a standard video camera. you'll want a DSLR. people will say (and they are right) that you can achieve a "cinematic" look with a traditional video camera. but it takes more work, more light control AND MORE ROOM to achieve the DOF.

and with that, i agree with James0b57's quick and dirty answer. 7D or GH2.
and here are the big ticket topics:

for video, a 7D and 60D will have nearly if not visibly identical quality
a 7D DOES NOT have an articulating screen . but it DOES HAVE live HD out to a monitor via HDMI
a 60D DOES NOT live HD out to a monitor via HDMI . but it DOES HAVE an articulating screen
the canons have a very straight-forward and intuitive menu system
both will be subject to canons much talked about moire / aliasing issues. (though there is a company that makes a physical insert for the 5Dll that largely defeats that problem and i HEAR there may be one in the works for the 7D)
both will have that "easy, off the shelf" canon cinematic look

a GH2 is arguably better than a hacked GH1. and there is now a hack for the GH2 so i wouldnt bother with a GH1
a GH2 has more shooting options than the canons and is not as prone to moire and aliasing issues.
the GH line has a pretty convoluted and non-intuitive menu system (but once you accept that. its very easy to use)
the GH2 takes a bit more knowledge and practice to use well. but once you get used to it. many find its look more pleasing and more flexible than the canons

the canons have a much more solid build quality as opposed to the GH2, which is light and plastic feeling and feels like a toy. but i have one and its never been a problem. and ive never heard of one prone to breaking.

there. does that cover it?
 
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wgzn said:
the answer is pretty simple. if your work is truthfully primarily features and shorts and if you dont want to use a 35mm adapter rig. forget a standard video camera. you'll want a DSLR. people will say (and they are right) that you can achieve a "cinematic" look with a traditional video camera. but it takes more work, more light control AND MORE ROOM to achieve the DOF.

and with that, i agree with James0b57's quick and dirty answer. 7D or GH2.
and here are the big ticket topics:

for video, a 7D and 60D will have nearly if not visibly identical quality
a 7D DOES NOT have an articulating screen . but it DOES HAVE live HD out to a monitor via HDMI
a 60D DOES NOT live HD out to a monitor via HDMI . but it DOES HAVE an articulating screen
the canons have a very straight-forward and intuitive menu system
both will be subject to canons much talked about moire / aliasing issues. (though there is a company that makes a physical insert for the 5Dll that largely defeats that problem and i HEAR there may be one in the works for the 7D)
both will have that "easy, off the shelf" canon cinematic look

a GH2 is arguably better than a hacked GH1. and there is now a hack for the GH2 so i wouldnt bother with a GH1
a GH2 has more shooting options than the canons and is not as prone to moire and aliasing issues.
the GH line has a pretty convoluted and non-intuitive menu system (but once you accept that. its very easy to use)
the GH2 takes a bit more knowledge and practice to use well. but once you get used to it. many find its look more pleasing and more flexible than the canons

the canons have a much more solid build quality as opposed to the GH2, which is light and plastic feeling and feels like a toy. but i have one and its never been a problem. and ive never heard of one prone to breaking.

there. does that cover it?
Click to expand...

No. You forgot to mention the T2i/T3i, which has identical video quality to the 60D, which are both virtually identical to the 7D but for a fraction of the price. The T3i also sports a relatively moire-free zoom crop mode, which allows you to turn any prime into a 3X zoom without losing any resolution, but the T2i has the most feature-packed video suite thanks to Magic Lantern. Magic Lantern exists on the 60D as well, with some relatively minor functions that only work on the T2i (shortcuts, extreme ISO values, etc). And for the price, you could have a dual-cam setup for about what a 7D would cost. This is assuming that HDMI out while filming isn't important.

The problem with the 7D is that Magic Lantern is not compatible with it, so you will never have access to the extended suite of video tools that make it act more like a dedicated video camera. It also has been rumored to overheat more often due to the dual-processor design. It used to be highly recommended since it was the first Canon DSLR to support 24p and the only one to support HD out while recording, but otherwise isn't recommended nearly as much as it used to be. In fact, if you don't shoot with an external monitor or plan to take stills, I'd say you're better off with a different model.

Really, all this is in the sticky I posted.
 
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This is my last what camera to buy post. I swear.
@M. Gliden: Yes I have read those post you have mentioned. Thank you.

Thank you all for your time and your replies.
 
Regarding HDMI out: yes, the 7D is the only choice for true hi-def out. This isn't absolutely necessary. A decent external monitor via HDMI will allow you to focus accurately, as will a magnifying loupe. I've done a lot of projects with the T2i and have not had a single focus problem. (having a one-to-one pixel button is very helpful in setting up shots; Canon's magnifying buttons are great as well).

In my experience, a loupe trumps an articulating screen (and it's difficult to have both). I can't do a thing without a loupe; once you put one on, you might never remove it. Beyond the focus magnification and the ability to shoot in hard daylight, I find the "viewfinder" style of shooting makes it much easier to give total mental focus to what's going on the chip.

My personal experiences of course and others' mileage may vary.
 
and others' mileage may vary.
Click to expand...
precisely. it depends on how you work.

80% of my work has a client or two standing around watching / marking time code (or counter in case of dslrs) so external monitoring is a make or break on most of my camera decisions.
 
Y'know, I got a $5 passive HDMI splitter from eBay, and rigged up a wall mount-to-wheeled-stand rig, and stuck a 22" HDMI TV (Samsung, about $200) on it. Now when I need a 2nd screen, I have a little marshall on my rig and the 22" where clients or focus puller can use it. Hardest thing to source was a good bag for the TV (found an iMac case that's just tits - and it was the priciest part of the rig!)

It's very serviceable for DSLR, and fantastic for something like an HMC150. The TV isn't production-quality, but doesn't need to be. Dial in the Marshall, turn on the TV, and tweak the TV settings until you have a decent visual match.
 
Michael Carter said:
Y'know, I got a $5 passive HDMI splitter from eBay, and rigged up a wall mount-to-wheeled-stand rig, and stuck a 22" HDMI TV (Samsung, about $200) on it. Now when I need a 2nd screen, I have a little marshall on my rig and the 22" where clients or focus puller can use it. Hardest thing to source was a good bag for the TV (found an iMac case that's just tits - and it was the priciest part of the rig!)

It's very serviceable for DSLR, and fantastic for something like an HMC150. The TV isn't production-quality, but doesn't need to be. Dial in the Marshall, turn on the TV, and tweak the TV settings until you have a decent visual match.
Click to expand...


Pictures?
 
I have one that I must have made for a past thread.

Basically a $15 articulating wall mount - the photo shows it mounted to the wall over my edit bay; I use one of those Matthews articulating-finger things in place of the post from the wall mount. The matthews piece mounts on a standard spud. I drilled/tapped a t-handle into it. Works great. I can use it above my computer monitors, or pop it off and take it on set. A lot cheaper than the grip-purposed TV mounts.

IMG_1469.jpg
 
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